Chris moved busily from early morning.
"Hmm… Is this good enough…?"
Lately, she had been skipping her morning training with Emil and dedicating herself to something else every morning.
If she had her way, she would go out right now.
After all, if she didn't go out, Emil and Sierra would be alone together.
'…No, let's not get sidetracked.'
But Chris composed herself and continued what she was doing.
As for training, she herself was doing plenty of it alone with Emil in the afternoon.
After their date.
Chris, whose feelings for Emil had grown more earnest, decided to change her strategy a little.
'What I lack, after all, is… femininity.'
She had confirmed it during the date.
She loved the time she spent with Emil.
So she wanted to secure his heart. That's what she thought.
"…G-good."
A week passed since the date.
She finished what she had been struggling with every morning and nervously lifted it up.
'Let's do it…'
Chris was now feeling a more intense pounding in her chest than when she went to battle.
***
As usual, I finished my morning training with Sierra and headed to the academy.
Recently, Chris hadn't been coming out in the mornings.
'It didn't seem like there was anything particularly wrong with her.'
Since we met during afternoon training in her normal state, it wasn't like anything big had happened.
On the first day she was absent, I worried that Mari might have done something, given the situation with Mari.
Fortunately, that wasn't it.
Mari had been coming to the academy since then, but whenever we encountered each other, she would just stare blankly with an uneasy expression.
She became hesitant to approach me further.
Therefore, it seemed unlikely that Mari had done anything to Chris.
'Still, it bothers me…'
Of course, Chris's participation in morning training was a sudden, impulsive act on her part.
But Chris was still my target for capture.
So a sudden change couldn't help but bother me.
Especially since the most important event was scheduled soon.
'…Perhaps she saw me with Mari?'
That was the only possibility that came to mind in that moment.
But that was ridiculous.
The male and female dorms were separate to begin with.
If she had seen us, it would mean Chris had also snuck into the male dorm, like Mari.
…Honestly, that's a bit creepy.
'Should I just ask her frankly this afternoon…?'
There was no answer to be found by continuously agonizing over it.
The immediate capture was important.
I decided to resolve the question simply, if a bit recklessly.
And then.
It was lunchtime.
"Emil~."
"Hmm…?"
After the lunch bell rang.
Having no particular friends, I was preparing to eat alone as usual.
"As expected, you haven't eaten yet. Hehe."
Just then, Sierra came to my classroom.
"…What do you mean 'as expected'?"
"Well, you don't have any friends, Emil, do you? So I figured you'd still be in the classroom."
"Did you come here just to tease me…?"
"Ahaha, of course not."
To my glare, Sierra laughed and waved her hand.
Then she presented something in front of me.
"Ta-da~."
"…A bento box?"
"Oh, for your information, this is mine."
"…What am I supposed to do with that?"
"Oh my, seriously, if a friend comes to your class with a bento, the reason is obvious. Sometimes I wonder if you're really the top student!"
"..."
That meant…
"…You came to eat with me?"
"Yeah, isn't it good?"
"It's fine… But why suddenly…?"
"Hmm? Sometimes it's fun to eat together."
"..."
"Ahaha, and a few days ago, I saw you eating alone, so I felt a bit sorry for you."
"..."
I ate lunch alone every day.
So Sierra must have witnessed one of those countless lunchtimes.
…By the way, feeling 'sorry' for me and coming… that gives me a strange feeling.
Not grateful, but not something I could dislike either.
"Come on, let's go? Where should we eat?"
"No, I haven't said I'd eat with you yet…"
Sierra suddenly grabbed my arm and pulled me along.
Why was this girl acting like this?
'It's not that I dislike it…'
An indescribable emotion swirled within my chest.
If I honestly faced myself and asked.
I was happy.
She called me a friend, and she cared that I was alone.
But.
I felt an inexplicable suppression in my heart.
As if that feeling should not be brought out carelessly.
It felt as if a heavy iron lid had been placed over the exit of my heart.
'Mari… isn't around, is she?'
While being pulled along by Sierra, I first scanned my surroundings.
Just in case Mari witnessed this scene and went wild again.
Fortunately, Mari wasn't there.
Mari wasn't there, but…
"E-Emil…!"
Someone else was.
"Oh? It's Chris?"
"Ah…"
Chris called my name from behind us as we walked down the hallway.
Sierra and I both turned our heads at the sound of her voice.
Chris was standing blankly in the hallway.
Holding something tightly in her hand, with an oddly fidgety expression.
"Um… well, that is…"
It seemed she had called my name on impulse.
Unlike her usual self, she flustered greatly, her eyes darting around.
'That's…'
And then, I realized what she was holding in her hand.
Two bundles.
Given that it was lunchtime, they were probably bento boxes.
'Ah…'
Only then did the pieces of the puzzle, which had been so puzzling, fall into place.
Along with a refreshing sense of liberation.
A perplexing dilemma appeared before me.
"Chris, what's wrong?"
Sierra tilted her head innocently, unaware of anything.
"That is…"
Chris's face flushed, and she ultimately frowned and lowered her head.
'Damn it…'
Of all times, both of them, both today.
Had come to ask me to eat lunch with them.
'If one of them had come yesterday or tomorrow, it wouldn't be a problem.'
I cursed this cruel timing in my heart and immediately fell into contemplation.
The subject of my contemplation was the choice.
Who should I choose?
'No, of course I have to choose Chris…'
I subtly shook my head at the foolish thought.
If I chose Sierra here, Chris's capture would surely go awry.
Of course, if it were simply a route where I confessed, this much disruption wouldn't be a problem.
But my goal was to receive a confession.
'If I get tangled up with Sierra for no reason, Chris won't confess.'
No one attempts a challenge that is bound to fail.
"Um, Sierra…"
"Hmm?"
So I subtly turned my head and looked at Sierra.
Sierra tilted her head, her face innocent.
'Ugh…'
At that sight, words instantly caught in my throat.
'…What are you doing?'
I needed to speak quickly, but for some reason, hesitation welled up when I faced Sierra.
What is this…?
I didn't know why.
But.
"Well… now that I think about it, I have a prior engagement with Chris."
"Oh? Really?"
"…Huh?"
I calmed my swirling emotions and thus declined Sierra's lunch invitation.
"What~, you should have told me earlier then! I came all the way here for nothing!"
"No, you're the one who showed up without warning."
"Ah."
Fortunately, Sierra accepted my words without much complaint.
However, she didn't leave immediately but stood there blankly.
"..."
She looked at me once with an expressionless face.
Then she looked at Chris, who was behind me.
"Hmm…"
Then she looked directly at me again.
"Alright, then let's eat together next time."
Sierra turned and left my presence.
'…What was that just now?'
Her instantaneous action, which I couldn't understand.
As I tilted my head in question at her behavior.
"Um… Emil…"
As Sierra left, Chris approached me from behind.
"That is…"
She gently clutched the edge of my clothes and looked at me cautiously.
As if asking how I knew.
I let out a soft laugh and said,
"Let's go, I'm hungry."
"Huh?"
And I took the flustered Chris to the rooftop.
***
"Hmm… so Sierra also wanted to eat together."
As I expected, Chris had made a bento box for me.
'So this is why she didn't come out in the morning.'
It was a quite well-made bento box.
She probably made thorough preparations and came today.
However.
She was picking at her side dishes with a somewhat dissatisfied expression.
"Thank you, the bento box is delicious."
"..."
She glanced at me.
When I told her it was delicious, Chris finally shot me a look.
"…Really?"
And with a slight blush, she averted her eyes again.
"Yeah, it's surprising. I didn't think you'd be good at cooking."
She seemed to be in a much better mood, so I conveyed my honest thoughts once more.
In fact, this was the first time I had experienced Chris cooking like this.
'She never even packed me a bento box in the 4th timeline, you know.'
So a subtle emotion welled up.
Of course, it was proof that the capture was going smoothly, so I wasn't in a bad mood.
…But surely, in the 4th timeline, I was much more sincere.
The fact that she didn't make me a bento box in the 4th timeline, when I was truly sincere, made me feel quite a pang.
'As expected, she wasn't that deeply into me back then.'
That's why she went to Edric, I suppose.
At this point, I was certain of it.
"I, I too…"
"Hmm?"
Just then, Chris, who was fiddling with her fork again, carefully spoke up.
"I… I'm good at things like this too."
"Right."
"Although I always just hold a sword… there are domestic sides to me that you don't know about…! Th-that's what I mean."
Listening to her words, I understood why she had made the bento box.
It seemed she wanted to appeal to her feminine side.
Of course, this too was something that never happened in the 4th timeline.
"Um, Emil…"
"Yeah."
"There's something I'm curious about…"
"What is it?"
As we ate the bento boxes for a while.
Chris carefully asked again.
"Earlier… why did you, um, postpone Sierra's invitation?"
"Ah, that."
Chris blushed with embarrassment, but this time she looked directly at me.
I smiled and replied to her.
"Just because I wanted to eat with you instead of Sierra."
"..."
Chris's eyes widened in surprise.
"H-hmm… I see."
Then she turned her head back to her bento box.
'It's a relief that the capture is going smoothly.'
It seemed my worries from the morning were unfounded.
She hadn't skipped morning training because of a problem, but to gain points with me.
'Then since it's a good opportunity, should I suggest it now?'
Having confirmed that the capture was going well, I immediately decided to move to the next stage.
"Hey, Chris. By any chance…"
"Huh…?"
"The next final evaluation joint practical. …Do you want to be in the same group as me?"
The final evaluation joint practical.
By completing that major event.
Chris's capture would be complete.